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Bristleclaw’s Resistance
ShadeClan Leader: Wingstar (gray-and-white she-cat with green eyes) Deputy: Redwing (bright orange tom) Medicine Cat: Treefall (dark gray she-cat) Warriors: Streampelt (blue-gray she-cat with yellow eyes) Rainstorm (white tom with stormy gray flecks) Clawfire (dark red tom with green eyes) Stormshadow (very dark gray she-cat with golden eyes) Apprentice, Thornpaw (dark golden tabby tom with amber eyes) Darkbird (fluffy gray she-cat with black stripes) Apprentice, Wavepaw (silver she-cat with darker spots) Creekwing (gray tom with white ears and blue eyes) Cloudfeather (silver tom with white feather like markings) Dewclaw (black she-cat) Queens: Snowcloud (white she-cat with gray spots and golden eyes) mother to Bristlekit (pale gray she-kit with darker flecks and icy blue eyes), Firekit (dark red she-cat with green eyes, looks like her father Clawfire) and Bluekit (bluish gray she-cat with golden eyes) Icewater (sleek black she-cat with small white speckles) expecting Cloudfeather’s kits Elders: Scorchblaze (bright ginger tom) BreezeClan Leader: Nightstar (sleek black she-cat) Deputy: Firebird (ginger tabby tom) Medicine Cat: Blaze (ginger-and-white tom, former rogue) Warriors: Mudwater (longhaired brown tom) Birchfire (pale brown she-cat with dark brown tabby stripes, pelt looks like birchbark) Palecloud (very pale gray she-cat with dark blue eyes) Sunstone (dappled golden tom) Hareleap (long-clawed pale brown she-cat with green eyes) Apprentice, Dawnpaw (pale gray tom) Featherbird (stormy gray she-cat with a white chest and aqua green eyes) Cherryfoot (dark red tom with lighter patches and a white underbelly) Queens: Sleetfall (silver-gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes) mother of Sunstone’s kit: Graykit, a gray tom with a darker stripe, paws, and tail Elders: Coldshard (white tom with blind, ice blue eyes) Fallenfeather (once-pretty faded black she-cat) Cats outside clans: Golden (yellow she-cat) Chapter One Bristlekit awoke to see her two sisters play fighting. It was the day of their apprentice ceremony! Bluekit suddenly swiped at Firekit, knocking her down. Firekit swatted back, and Bluekit fell on top of her. “I win!” She would surely become a strong opponent in battle. Firekit, on the other hand, had very strong hunting skills. And Bristlekit was in the middle. “All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Boulder for a Clan meeting!” Wingstar called. The gray-and-white she cat was standing on the rock. “Firekit, you have reached the age of six moons, and are old enough to become an apprentice. Rainstorm will be your mentor. Bluekit, you will now be known as Bluepaw, and your mentor will be Creekwing. Bristlekit, your mentor will be... Dewclaw.” With that, Wingstar headed back to her den. Rainstorm, Creekwing, and Dewclaw started discussing what to do first. Bristlepaw was left with her two sisters, who were guessing what the warriors would choose. Finally, they decided to explore, and check the territory. Treefall stood, waiting for Blaze to arrive. Eventually, the red-and-white tom appeared at the top of the slope. The two medicine cats headed down to the Moon River (like the Moonpool, FYI) and crouched down. Treefall fell asleep, and awoke in StarClan’s hunting grounds. Soon, a silvery white she-cat appeared, blue eyes shimmering. It was Waterwing, Treefall’s mentor, who had long since died of heart failure. “It is good to see you,” Waterwing flicked her tail. “But I have a prophecy to deliver. Only the claws that bristle can take your place. They do not know, nor will they want to. But you need them, as they need you.... ''Waterwing faded, but Treefall understood. This was about Bristlepaw. Waterwing’s message was clear enough. Bristlepaw needed to understand. Chapter Two: A Mysterious Sign Bristlepaw walked through the forest, carrying a thrush. Two moons had passed since she’d received her apprentice name, and like Firepaw, was a great hunter. Rainstorm and Dewclaw were both impressed. “Nice catch! Where’d ya get it? Can I catch one?” It was Thornpaw, the most annoying cat in the clan. But Bristlepaw ignored him and walked back to camp, where Dewclaw waited. “Very good. We’re going to practice tree hunting.” Bristlepaw dropped the thrush on the fresh-kill pile and ran out of camp with Dewclaw. Eventually her mentor stopped at the base of a huge oak tree. Another thrush was flitting around, high above their heads. “I want you to climb the tree and catch the bird,” Dewclaw ordered. Bristlepaw had just planted a forepaw into the bark when she saw movement. A vole, a fat one, was nibbling on an acorn near another oak tree. ''It would be smarter to go for that one, ''Bristlepaw realized. She whipped around, started stalking, and pounced. The vole lay dead at her paws, and she picked it up and dropped it near Dewclaw, who was unimpressed. “If I want you to catch a vole, I’ll say that’s what I want you to do. I specifically said for you to catch that bird.” Bristlepaw slid out her claws. Dewclaw could be so picky sometimes! But the black she-cat wasn’t done. “You will stay out here and you will not return to camp until you have caught a bird by climbing!” With that, Dewclaw stalked off. But Bristlepaw had spotted something. A leaf, in the shape of a claw, was bristling in the wind. It was blown off of its branch and landed at her paws. What did it mean? Or was it just a leaf...? Treefall looked up. “Did that harebrained mentor of yours make you do something stupid?” Bristlepaw was glad for this. “Tried to, but this is different. I saw a claw-shaped leaf, which was sort of bristling. It fell, and landed near me.” Treefall had on a thoughtful expression. “You... are not meant to be a warrior,” she began. “I had an omen. You are destined to be a medicine cat.” Bristlepaw was insulted. “I know we both hate Dewclaw, but she has good intentions!” Treefall said nothing. She knew so much more than the young apprentice, but it would be cruel to tell her. Dewclaw was not stupid. She was evil, and Treefall had lied to protect the young apprentice. Chapter Three: The Resistance Starts Wavepaw looked crossly at Thornpaw as he left the den with his mentor, Stormshadow. Poor Stormshadow had to train the most obnoxious cat in the Clan, yet Wavepaw felt no pity for either her nor Thornpaw. The day before, Stormshadow had been dumb enough to suggest that her apprentice was destined to be Wavepaw’s mate, and that they would have beautiful kits. Wavepaw had no desire for this, especially if it was the most annoying cat in the Clan! She would have pitied Stormshadow if she hadn’t said that. As Bristlepaw entered the den, Wavepaw looked up. “Is Dewclaw being stupid?” Bristlepaw answered. “Yes, but more so Treefall. She tried to tell me that I had to be a medicine cat!” Wavepaw was not at all surprised. “Treefall just wants to get you away from that mouse-brain!” But Bristlepaw continued on. “I think she thinks that Dewclaw’s evil or something.” Wavepaw looked thoughtful. “You might be right.” Bristlepaw had a crazy idea. It would be hard to pull off, but the results would be great. “We should start a rebellion. Against all the cats who have ever wronged us.” Wavepaw seemed quite impressed. “Okay. I’ll join. And my mentor, Darkbird, HATES Treefall and Dewclaw. She’ll be happy to join.” Sure enough, Darkbird was happy to join. “It’s a good idea,” she had said. “Anything against those flea-brains.” Firepaw, Bluepaw, Creekwing, and Rainstorm had all joined. They agreed that Treefall and Dewclaw were extremely stupid. Unfortunately, Wingstar was not impressed. She said that the group needed to disband immediately. To which, in secret, Bluepaw had said, “We cannot disband. If we are to stay resilient, we must keep secrets.” Fortunately, everyone had stayed silent. Wingstar had thought that after the discussion, the group had indeed split. Just in case, the four had been separated on patrols. But it wasn’t enough. The resistance was strong, and getting stronger. Treefall stared into Waterwing’s starry blue gaze. “You must gather more cats to fight with you! An apprentice is planning an attack against you!” Treefall knew exactly who it was. Bristlepaw. The speckled gray apprentice had hated her since they had met. But an attack? No apprentice had so much power! Something had to be done. “Wingstar, these cats are plotting against us. Bristlepaw, her sisters, Creekwing, and Rainstorm are plotting against you, Dewclaw, and I. Bristlepaw is supposed to be a medicine cat, Dewclaw is evil. That’s what Waterwing told me. I know it sounds crazy, but if we can’t trust StarClan...” Wingstar did not look surprised at all. “We must join BreezeClan and start a war with the resistance.” “Icewater has given birth!” Cloudfeather hurried into the nursery to check on his mate. Two kits had been born. One was a dark gray she-kit with silver specks, and the other was a black-and-silver tabby she-kit with white paws. Cloudfeather had been bent over them, but then he straightened. “Let’s call the silver-speckled one Silverkit,” Icewater said to her mate. Cloudfeather responded, “And the other one can be Dovekit.” Treefall was satisfied. The names were beautiful, and so were the kits. But those kits could join the resistance when old enough... Chapter Four: So Much Power, So Many Enemies Bristleclaw ran through the forest to catch up with Dewclaw and her new apprentice, Dovepaw. She would help train the young she-cat with tree climbing. Hopefully, nothing bad would happen. The last time that Dewclaw had taught a cat tree climbing, they had fallen out! That cat was Bristleclaw. And Bristleclaw would be very careful with her mentor’s new apprentice. Only she knew the torturous times with the black she-cat. Bristleclaw heard Treefall hissing at Dewclaw. “Look what happened! Your apprentice is dead because you didn’t keep an eye on her! And guess who killed her? Your ally! The one who you had so much faith in! It was Wingstar. She did it with her own claws. Dovepaw’s family is sitting vigil with her because of you and you alone.” Dewclaw looked quite offended. “No, it was Wing—” she began, but Treefall cut her off. “I was trying to protect Bristleclaw from you! But she chose to ignore my warnings, and stayed with you. Though it was only to gather information, or so I overheard. And I’ve been siding with Bristleclaw all along! You’re just too mouse-brained to know or care.” Bristleclaw couldn’t believe it. Treefall was right! And Wingstar had killed an innocent cat! As if summoned by thought, the gray and white she-cat had come out of her den. Bristleclaw noticed that she had blood on her claws. Dovepaw’s. All of the Clan had gathered beneath her. “I have decided to exile Redwing. He is soft and useless, and no one will miss him. Treefall will be the new deputy, and Streampelt knows a lot about herbs. She will be the new medicine cat.” Redwing took one last look at his Clan, and left. Treefall stood proudly, but there was a challenge in her eyes. And Bristleclaw knew why. Chapter Five: Silver Storms and Falling Dew “Your warrior name will be Silverstorm.” The new warrior walked quickly over to the clearing to sit her vigil. As she did so, there was a rustle at the camp entrance. “BreezeClan attack!” called Wingstar. Silverstorm had already walked off to a small clearing. She had been a quiet kit, and didn’t talk much. Just then, a golden tabby, a red-striped warrior, a sleek black she cat, and many others were running through the camp. “Remember the strikes I taught you, Graypaw!” a stormy gray-and-white she-cat called. “Yes, Featherbird!” But the striped tom had leapt onto Creekwing and had bowled him over. Graypaw’s mentor Featherbird had nodded approval, before leaping at Firestorm. Bristleclaw pulled between the white-chested she-cat and her sister, and the flame-colored cat streaked off. Suddenly, the leader sprinted past like a shard of the night sky. “She’s mine,” Nightstar hissed, and pinned Dewclaw down. The BreezeClan leader killed Dewclaw within moments, and the battle had been lost. But with that loss came victory. Silverstorm saw a rogue enter camp. It was a golden she-cat with blue eyes, and she was very pretty. Wingstar greeted her with a claw strike on the nose. “What are you doing here? Leave ShadeClan territory now, or die.” The newcomer wiped her bleeding muzzle on her pelt, then looked up. “My name is Golden. And I have heard of a resistance here. I wanted to join.” Wingstar looked thoughtful. “Sleep in the elders’ den, there’s no cat in there. You’ll manage, it accommodated Scorchblaze. And he was a huge cat. You’ll be just fine.” Golden headed off to the den, with a small vole that had just been dropped by Creekwing. Bristleclaw realized why this cat was here. Her resistance was powerful. And even the rogues knew about it. Chapter Six: Broken Wings Bristleclaw headed up to Wingstar’s den. They had agreed to fight for power over the Clan. Firestorm and Bluefeather (Bristleclaw’s sisters), Snowcloud, and Clawfire were worried about her. But Bristleclaw knew that she would be fine. A leader had more lives, but one good blow could take all nine (Tigerstar reference!). The leader was prepared. She climbed out of the thicket and ran down the rock. All of ShadeClan had gathered in the clearing, and parted to let the fighters pass. Wingstar dipped her head, and Bristleclaw did the same. Without warning, Wingstar leapt forward. Bristleclaw jumped to the side, slid under Wingstar, and flicked a paw across her belly. Momentarily distracted, Wingstar was off guard. Bristleclaw leapt on top of her, digging her claws in. Wingstar got free and did the same. Oddly enough, the leader’s claws were very small. They were quite sharp, but definitely not the normal size. Bristleclaw shook the she-cat off, as her claws couldn’t get much grip. Wingstar landed smoothly, her tail fluffed up. “I would counsel against doing this any longer than you have to,” she taunted. “But I have told you of my warning, so my task is complete!” With that, Wingstar darted under her opponent. Bristleclaw leapt onto her leader once more. Slashing her claws down the gray-and-white she-cat, Bristleclaw waited. Wingstar collapsed. “You have scattered the seeds of the future...” she whispered, and then she fell still. Chapter Seven: Redstar Bristleclaw had won the battle. Treefall would become leader. And who would be the new deputy? That would be for Treefall to decide. Bristleclaw didn’t want the position. Some other warrior should do it.... Bristleclaw’s thoughts were cut off by a gray flash. Wingstar was not dead. She had merely lost a life—but which one was it? Whichever one it was, it had restored all of Wingstar’s health. But Bristleclaw knew that she had to kill the leader. It was the one sure way to bring the Clan back from evil’s grasp. Striking her claws down Wingstar’s sides, Bristleclaw saw the she-cat fall. She shuddered, and then started to speak. “Not a day has gone by without my thoughts turning to my Clan of old,” she said. “The power that I had as leader... I coveted that power, I suppose. I know you warned me many times, but still I did not listen... I can die as I please.... and I choose to die as a leader. Fighting for my Clan.” With that, Wingstar fell still for the last time. Bristleclaw watched as the blue eyes faded. Treefall was now the leader... when suddenly a voice came from the camp entrance. “Redwing!” Darkbird, the guard, called from the thicket tunnel. An orange tom ran through, then stopped when he saw the body. “Wingstar! What happened? Where’s Dewclaw? Why is Bristleclaw standing in front of our leader‘s body? With blood on her claws!” Thornbush flicked his tail. “I’ll explain,” he called out, and shoved his way to the front of the Clan. “No, I will do it. Thornbush will make himself look like a newborn kit.” Wavewater ran forward. “Okay,” Wavewater started. “BreezeClan ambushed us in the middle of the night. Nightstar killed Dewclaw herself. Then, she called her whole Clan to retreat. After you were exiled, Wingstar made Treefall deputy, and Streampelt the medicine cat. Then one day, Dovepaw was killed by Wingstar, and Treefall confronted Dewclaw. That’s when we realized that Treefall was with us. After Dewclaw’s death, Wingstar challenged my side for leadership. That’s when the fight broke out, and... Bristleclaw killed her.” Redwing gaped at her. “So does that mean...” ''Yes, ''Bristleclaw thought. ''He’s Redstar now. Treefall will switch back to being a medicine cat, and Streampelt will become a warrior. And one cat will be the deputy. But who will it be....?